"Heaven knows," he added, "it is not my nature to hold any one in
bondage, and I shall gladly hail the day which sees the negro free. But
our slaves are our property. Take them from us and we are ruined wholly.
Miss Johnson, do you honestly believe that one in forty of those
Northern abolitionists would deliberately give up ten--twenty--fifty
thousand dollars, just because the thing valued at that was man and not
beast? No, indeed. Southern people, born and brought up in the midst of
slavery, can't see it as the North does, and there's where the mischief
lies."
He had wandered from Lulu and Muggins to the subject which then, far
more than the North believed, was agitating the Southern mind. Then they
talked of 'Lina, Hugh telling Alice of her intention to pass the winter
with Mrs. Ellsworth, and speaking also of Irving Stanley.
"By the way, Ad writes that Irving was interested in you, and you in
him," Hugh said, rather abruptly, stealing a glance at Alice, who
answered frankly: "I can hardly say that I know much of him, though once, long ago--"
She paused here, and Hugh waited anxiously for what she would say next.
But Alice, changing her mind, only added: "I esteem Mr. Stanley very highly. He is a gentleman, a scholar and a
Christian."
"You like him better for that, I suppose--better for being a Christian,
I mean," Hugh replied, a little bitterly.
"Oh, yes, so much better," and reining her horse closer to Hugh, Alice
rode very slowly, while in earnest tones she urged on Hugh the one great
thing he needed. "You are not offended?" she asked, as he continued
silent.
"No, oh, no. I never had any religious teaching, only once; an angel
flitted across my path, leaving a track of glorious sunshine, but the
clouds have been there since, and the sunshine is most all gone."
Alice knew he referred to the maiden of whose existence Mug had told
her, and she longed to ask him of her. Who was she, and where was she
now? Alas, that she should have been so deceived, or that Hugh, when she
finally did ask, "Who was the angel that crossed his path?" should
answer evasively.
Just before turning into the Spring Bank fields, a horseman came dashing
down the pike, checking his steed a moment as he drew near, and then,
with a savage frown, spurring on his foam-covered horse, muttering
between his teeth a curse on Hugh Worthington.
"That was Harney?" Alice said, stopping a moment outside the gate to
look after him as he went tearing down the pike.
"Yes, that was Harney," Hugh replied. "There's a political meeting of
some kind in Versailles to-day, and I suppose he is going there to raise
his voice with those who are denouncing the Republicans so bitterly, and
threatening vengeance if they succeed."